The cold air burned his lungs but Kodi kept running. It was the amount of running and the lack of food that gave Kodi is long, lean look. He lithely hoped over stacked crates or climbed them with no lack of agility, he slid and dipped around other less scalable obstacles and never once did he look back. His best friend Ship commented that his best trait was that he never looked back on the past, of course, it was a his worst trait too- Kodi learned nothing from his mistakes.

Mixed up, somehow, in Doma's underbelly meant that Kodi's young life was constantly running from something. The law, rivals, unseen forces, all of them were potential threats that Kodi has somehow outraced. It was a note of pride that there wasn't a man alive that could catch him.

Well, that's not true. Somehow his old man always managed to catch up to him somehow. He had to hand it to the bastard, when he wanted to he could be swift. Kodi's only defense was to always stay out of reach of his father. Still running.

A carriage pulling a noble crossed in front him and he barely missed running right into it. He could smell the cedar wood of the freshly made vehicle and feel the air whip past his nose. Crisis averted, he breathed a sigh of relief until a firm hand snatching by the collar caused him to catch it.

The tall, austere Ashuran acolyte held firmly on his son's ear. Long ago, he'd learned that the boy would only respect a firm hand and a solid demeanor. He tried his best to temper it with a softer side, but it kept getting repressed in favour of the strong hand. It may have not kept him in the boy's good books, but it kept him alive and out of trouble, and until he matured some more, that was all he could do for him.

"Yeah, you'll get over it," he responded to his cries of pain. "And watch your language. I WILL get the bar soap again..." Releasing the offending appendage, he commanded, "Sit down. Now."

Once he examined the boy, he simply looked at him in disbelief, marvelling at every little glint of defiance in his eyes, every defensive posture of his body. Why? Why always the defiance? How long until he realized no amount of poor behaviour would bring his mother back? It... it boggled him. Little boys had less logic than even HE could remember. "What... What in Her name are you DOING running again? And you better 'fess up quick..."

He added a deadly threat. "... before I feed you Jazz's cooking again."

At the mention of Jazz's infamously bad-no- toxic cooking, the truth came bubbling out of Kodi's moth before he could even stop himself. Even as the words tumbled over themselves in a blur of poor slum Common, Kodi marveled at how at just one mention of that....THAT, his mouth staged a full on revolt against every carefully crafted alibi he had planned.

"I was copping some game with my crew when da head piece smelled rank deal and called Feral to drop the mask and hawk the good shit-...I mean stuff. Anyway, game got hot as two bitches-uh...ladies-on a hot dick...uh...nah, dick's cool. Anyway, I took off like whoa, y'nah-mean? Cause last time I got caught standing still on a black market bust, my a-butt almost got zero'd like a full blown casualty." Pausing for air, Kodi rushed on.

"So, I'm jazzing like the wind, right? When I hear boots pounding on my black as-butt like they guv'mint on tax day or some shi-stuff. So I jooked it right-left-right and then next I know you copping my threads! So what you want??!" Kodi thumped his chest and almost dared Daenj'r to find fault in his flight from trouble. It's what the old man wanted anwyay, for his son to not end up zero'd. Of course, Kodi always missed the finer points of his father's reprimands.

Daenj'r gritted his teeth in anger. Hustling? AGAIN? It was enough to make him tear his inch-long dreads out. "Boy, I'MMA zero you, you keep this up, hear me?" Grabbing the child by the back of his pants, he lifted him off the ground and started back towards home. "You know you wouldn't GET in these situations if you stayed out of them in the FIRST place, but noooooo! You just keep on PUSHING and PUSHING until what? What? You catch an arrow with your chest? You end up in some forsaken dungeon?"

He switched his grip from the back of his pants to both arms gripped in either hand, looking him dead in the eye. Daenj'r almost flinched... it was like looking into a mirror of the past, the same thug he was years ago staring him back in the face.

"Do..." His resolve started to crack. "... do you KNOW how lucky I am? DO YOU? It was by the grace of Ashura ALONE that I am breathing today! That YOU have someone that gives a damn about you! I just BARELY escaped death, and I don't want YOU to end up like me, but worse. Cuz that's where you're headed! This. Is going. TO KILL YOU. ... and..."

He sighed. "You keep runnin' too far away for me to heal you."

He switched back to the "back of the pants" position. "... and dick ain't cool, by the way. You better even get the IDEA of that outside of peein' out of your head...."

Kodi let himself be jostled around by his father. He tolerated it at the very least because Daenj'r never laid a hand on him that he didn't deserve. That he KNEW he deserved it was a painful nod to the fact that his father was a good man.

A good man and as square as a chess board.

The momentary weakness was all he needed though. No matter how hard of tone or how firmly his father's bicep was pressed against his neck, he knew that his father was a squishy, doughman inside and he was still cute enough to exploit that.

Sighing with a measure of melodrama, Kodi went a bit lank, as if defeated. "I know, Poppa. I just...they're my friends and they got my back, y'know? I want to be a man...like you. And I ain't gonna get their bein' a baby, y'feel me. Gotta run wit' them dogs, y'feel? " He looked up from his position of being hoisted by his pants. "Can you put me down? I won't run, f'sho. You're giving me a wedgie."

"More than one way to become a man, boy," Daenj'r replied, adjusting his grip on the back of his child's pants. "And you don't walk till I find a decent tether.

"And BY THE WAY," he added. "Where ARE these so-called 'friends'? Are they chasing after me, tryin' to save their captured friend? Or did they scatter in all different directions, secure in th'fact that they had to look out for number one? Uh? You answer me that!

"I tell ya, boy," he continued. "Ain't NO honor among thieves... they're all just out for themselves. You THINK they got your back, but all they got is their own coinpurse, and last thing they want is to make it lighter. Trust me... eight months in the dungeons taught me that one.

"Y'know where you find good friends your age? SCHOOL. You know, that place I always drag you back to, but you always leave? THOSE kids will have your back. THOSE kids will defend you when your back's to the wall. They may not be able to knife a guy and count cards, but that's stuff you shouldn't be doin' in the FIRST place anyways!"

The white mage sighed. "I'm ramblin'. Don't run with dogs. You just get bit."

Foiled, Kodi let Daenj'r carry him onward. He snorted a little at Daenj'r's derisive comments about street life. He knew the important parts of his father's history with the underworld of Doma but he still doubted the man's ability to comprehend it. It had been what- 8 years? Things changed. His father certainly did. No, his father didn't understand the street anymore. If he did, he'd love the excitement and thrill of cheating death and the challenge of finding the edge of consequence.

Honestly, that was the most appealing part- finding out where all the unclear boundaries were and pushing them a little further. Swift fingers nicked all kinds of things and a good head won him street brawls against kids twice is size and age. And besides, there was always a swift escape if things didn't pan out. School was boring and thrill-less.

"They ain't come for me, 'cause they know I know street law," Kodi finally quipped. "Everyone's for number one, e'en them kids at school, pops.I done seen it so many times, I know people are all in f'self. E'en you," he said the last in a low voice. Part of him didn't believe it and the other part of him knew it was possibly true at some level. Another boundary push, either he'd get a lecture or....

Shit, he just bought himself another lecture. Kodi cursed inwardly and waited for the long drawl about love, family, et cetera, et boring cetera. He started looking for a way out? Did he really need pants? Ship certainly went without them on the occasion...

The brief reply was stunning enough that Kodi, too, fell silent. For the yelling and screaming the had passed between, somehow being toted around by his trousers and to hear such a simple declaration of paternal resolve was a bit stunning. So stunning, Kodi found himself inexplicably upset by and he tried hard to hide his sudden, unmanly well of emotion.

He pretended to be suddenly appreciative of his too-frequent-to-be-unique vantage point and turn his head away from Daenj'r so that the adult wouldn't notice his tears and do unnecessary things like console him. The cold against his wet face had a sobering affect after while and he had to lift his arms to wipe away the tears.

In doing so, a young woman snatched his arm and grabbed a hold of him. He screamed in surprise and tried to struggle free but he was caught between two full grown adults and by each torso.

"HEY, DAD! They got me! They got me!" Images of his worst enemies flashed in his mind. Sharkteeth, Solar, Bio? The list was too long to go through and he would be dead by the time he reached the end of it. He gave a final kick and felt a sting in the back of his neck that went warm then burning hot before consuming his mind and everything going black.

Daenj'r had the pleasure of meeting a young and rather officious looking inujin woman. "Mr...ugh..Tymisonn, I am...stop fussing! I am Mrs. Losbrazos. Ow! Constantina Losbrazos with Children affairs." She made a swift move and Kodi went limp. She breathed a sigh of relief from her doberman muzzle. Her accent was lightly Inustani and she still had a delightful rolling and thickness to her 'r's. "He's fine. Just a little trick I learned in the Inustani marines. But I wanted to catch you and Kodi before you disappeared. You see, Kodi has been living a criminal life...uh...no...how to say..." The tan dots on above her eyes dipped as she searched the air for appropriate words.

"Mr. Tymisonn, if I may be completely frank, your son is a rampaging bastard and we have thought to believe his completely delinquent behavior has been thwarting the anti-gang effforts." She straightened up and perked her pointed ears forward. "Various criminals all over Doma have been using him in an around about way to make deals, run drugs, sabotage each other and he's so small and fast-like a mouse- we can't catch him! Now, I understand your position with the government and I understand that his boy must be incredibly difficult to manage....In fact, I'm not sure why you have not crated him like a wild beast and keep him tethered at all times but-" she raised her hand and slowly shook her head, speechless to find a better alternative than that which she has suggested, "But I understand you probably are more adept at his capture than we are. So..."

Mrs. Losbrazos pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and presented it to Daenj'r. "This is a Decree of Reform. We will take Kodi for a period of 30 days and try to....educate and reform him from a..." She shut her muzzle, biting off a unprofessional but totally accurate description. "Into a law-abiding citizen through team building activities, lessons, and structured living." She finished her nearly scripted speech and waited for Daenj'r to give the either yes or no to this decree. Why he would see any fault with wanted to reform the tiny bastard, she did not know. It did happen-more often than anyone would like to admit- that parents were idiots that did not know what was good for the children.

After a moment, Daenj'r realized how proud of his parenting skills he was. He was only tempted for half a second.

"... firstly, ma'am," he began, reining in his street slang as best he could, "Unhand my child. Secondly? No. You are leaving my son be. I understand you, fully... he is a handful. But he is MY handful, and I'm doing nothing but set a bad example of him if I abandon him whenever the mood suits me.

"And thirdly?" he concluded. "Whatever your PERSONAL feelings towards my son, it would do you well for you to keep them to yourself. I am married to a Knight, after all. The only reason I don't speak directly to the King more is because I don't want to bother him with unimportant things. And you do NOT want to become a priority to me."

He switched his grip from a gripping-the-seat position to a fireman's carry. "Unless there's anything else...?"

The emotions of the inujin official were hard to gauge in human terms. Her brown eyes were set fixedly on Daenj'r and her muzzle clamped shut with none of the jaw twitching that usually accompanied a person battling with resolve and duty. Instead she seemed to be frozen in time, her inner workings obscure to all.

Finally, she clicked her tongue and swiveled her ears as she looked at the decree in her hand. "It was told to me by a superior that those who kennel with the King are fairly outside the law. I being a woman who believes that no on is outside of any kind of law chose to ignore this." She frowned and pulled out another decree and presented it to Daenj'r. "To this end, I submitted a petition to the court filing charges against your son. I've gathered more than enough damning information against him such that ignoring my plea is a blatant disregard for other, unprivileged citizens." She crossed her arms and took a step back from the two Tymisonns like they were untouchables. "I am not unfair, Mr. Tymisonn. I am willing to drop the charges if your son reforms his ways. I come from a town rocked by gangs and I will not see another home lost because of-" She clamped her jaw again and this time seemed to have worse scrutiny for Daenj'r himself. "Well, let's say one way or another, if your son continues to be a sore on civility, I will see to it that he spends his formative years in irons."

She gave a cold bow and left him to mull over her threats of litigation. Kodi was sleeping peacefully and had begun to drool, a thin line of spittle swinging like a chandelier from his bottom lip.

Rumors had spread in the port-city of Kohlingen like rumors always do that a ship, a caravel manned by no more than a dozen or so kilian-like sailors had set anchor in the harbor with the men aboard quickly spreading out through the city to enjoy the women, drink and gamble with plenty of gold in their pockets.

Now, these occurences were hardly unusual, certainly not enough to warrant much attention, but after a few days, during which these nekojin-like sailors fought, drank and slept like men possessed, they all as one abandoned their revelry and set out as a small caravan setting a straight course from Kohlingen to Doma, the capital of the nation and joined by a small but expensive mercenary group known to not ask any questions when enough money was presented to hire their services.

Rumors quickly settled down once they'd left, but after that day, a small but valuable amount of golden coins imprinted with strange imagery and characters unseen by most scholars began to circulate in the city, then in the nation, until you'd likely find a few of the foreign pieces in more or less any city worth its salt on the Igalan continent.

Ripples, perhaps, of the events that were to come, and although insignificant on a grander historical scale, the day that the Sept île first arrived on Igala would provide a historical piece of curiosa for years to come.

So, after lodgings had been established and the sailors once more given leave to enjoy themselves (with the mercenaries left behind to guard whatever wares that were kept in the barrels and bins brought along), the leader of the cat-like Sailors came strolling down the streets, a vacant smile on his lips and large, curious eyes darting around to take in the sights of the city around him.

In many ways, the man resembled a kilian. He had the ears and tails of a cat, in the spotted pattern of an ocelot, but fur grew up his legs, visible between his black, heavy boots (toes cut off as his claws poked out) and the capri-like shorts he wore. Around his waist was a crimson sash, tied tightly (and showing that he was of a rather slim, gangly built), with a puffy shirt billowing out above it, long and wide sleeves buttoned at his wrists with the material almost threatening to flow down over his clawed hands.

The face of the cat-like person looked young, almost female with rounded features and large, lime green eyes. The fur grew up his neck but ended just underneath his chin, and aside from his cat-like eyes and prominent fangs, the man looked positively human as far as facial features go. His brightly red hair was kept at neck-length, and a deep-violet, almost black bandana kept it out of his eyes.

Tied over the sash was a leather-belt with a cutlass and a dagger sheathed, and a decent amount of pouches and small bags hung off the belt. A golden ring glimmered in one of the cat-like ears and a navy-blue, heavy coat hung over one of his shoulders, held only barely by two fingers of his right hand.

---

Now, it happened so, that the stranger in these parts came upon the three, or two (with one rapidly leaving inujin), and with a look of delight on his face hurried over to Daenj'r and took the man's hand. "Si vous êtes le roi? ? Vous Charles?" he spoke rapidly, gesturing with his free hand. "Je suis des sept îles, mon nom est Alistair. Avez-vous reçu ma lettre?"

The white mage, upon losing sight of the woman, kicked at the dirt. Fuckin' BITCH, he spoke internally. Where the FUCK does she get off with this shit? I...

Calm. Calm yourself, Dae. She is a form of life, a child of Ashura just like any other. And she will realize what she's doing before too lo-

Pressure now entered his palm. Daenj'r looked down at his now-occupied hand in surprise to see... some sort of cat-eared creature. Wha-... what is this little thing? And... it's speaking... some kind of Usagijin? Kay... THAT'S weird... standard response...

The man looked somewhat confused at Daenj'r's response, then he seemed to understand... maybe?

"Usagijin... Qu'est-ce qu..." he blinked "Ah... I am... sorry. Yes, you speak.... what is the name, common?" His accent was pretty thick, but he carried the words correctly. "I am looking for king... king Charles, yes? King of this country Doma?" He let go of the man's hand and gave a little shrug.

"I do not... know this... Purvis? Is he from the Sept île? Ah, whatever. Where do I find this Charles anyway?" The cat-like person slumped a little, his open grin, revealing his fangs, sinking into the same relaxed smile as before.

"Well," Dae said, pointing at the large structure towards the centre of the city, "he usually stays in there. But it's next to IMPOSSIBLE to get in there, especially after that guy tried to sneak in an explosive cantrip in his pants...

"Ah, yes, I see." Alistair frowned before lighting up again, "I will see him soon enough, non? I am in no hurry, I would rather see more of this city!" he gestured out with his clawed finger, an eager look on his face. "Ah yes, the sea is nice, but the cities have much finer things to offer, wine, food and women, do you not think?"

Alistair raised two fingers up in a lazy salute and his bright eyes twinkled, looking as if he was about to burst out laughing any second, "I am Alistair Hancock, Enchanté" His nose twitched a little and he gave a short laughter, "Now tell me, where could I find some poulet au romarin?"

"Sushi? Friend Dae, you speak of the strangest things. Is that a Doman cuisine? Poulet au romarin is, how you say, chicken and... romarin? It is a... a spice! Mmm, tasty." he licked his chops and then shook his head, nose twitching again as he sniffed the air. "Chicken? You have chicken in Doma no?

Alistair glanced towards the child still carried by Dae and cocked his head to the side, looking a bit confused. "Child... your son, is he all right?"

All right?, Kodi thought. ALL RIGHT?! I'm like a nutsack just hanging here!

The boy had been solidly conscious but unable to control so much as his I lids. Given all that was said about him being taken away, jailed, or "reformed" piled on top of his inability to move struck terror into his heart. The old man had come through for him but what if that woman was right? What if he couldn't bend the laws to get him out of this?

Paralyzed as he was, tears welled behind his lids and squeezed themselves between the cracks of flesh and fell, plip-plip. It was a satisfying sound but it was also infuriating to know that he had cried more today than he had done since his first day in Doma...

Dae took the boy in his arm, cradling him like he wished he had when he was still a babe. His mind tried to stymie the useless thought of Dammit, Chanikwa, couldn't you have told me SOONER?, but once it was out, he had no choice but to accept it and try to calm his cute little gangbanger.

"How's that sound, kiddo?" he inquired. "Food eating place? Make you not cry? Your choice... I hear there's a beef sandwich place not too far from here... I can see if they'll let you put grape jelly on it... "

Kodi felt the shift in his position and was surprising pleased with the new arrangement but not as pleased as he was with the eating arrangements. A meaty sandwich topped with bacon, ham, egg, grape jam, bacon, cheese, and bacon? It was the most heavenly food alive. It was almost like sex, or at least what he imagined sex to be like.

He summoned all his might to make his mouth move and squeaked "...b....c....n... frrrr...ssss..." He could feel the numbness dying away and that could only mean he would soon be able to shorten his lifespan with food.

Adjusting his child in his arms to make him properly suitable for transport, Daenj'r said to his new friend, "Alistair? Care to watch a young boy eat a combination of foods that the gods themselves deem an unnatural marriage?"

"Friend Dae, after eating mélasse and pois, I will eat and watch everything, non?" he gave a toothy grin and prodded the child again, chuckling for himself before tut-tutting and shaking his head. "My sympathies to you and your son, it is not, ah, easy being... a bit slow." He gave the child a pat-pat on the head and then nodded grimly.

"With bacon, cheese and fried eggs, no less," Daenj'r clarified. "This kid's lucky his metabolism is so fast... he keeps this up past puberty, he'll be big as a house in no time.

"Oh, and he's not slow," the white mage clarified once more as he proceeded to the sandwich shop, "He's... got baggage, surprisingly. And it's hard for any kid to deal with the baggage he's got in a smart way. But, I keep at it, he might actually learn how to manage it smartly. I mean... I did."

He thought about his last statement. "'Course, my revelation came by way of being left dying in the street, abandoned by my friends, but maybe if I say it around him enough, he'll listen...

Alistair laughed lightly and grinned, "Perhaps I spoke wrong, but no matter. You use many difficult words, friend Dae,"

The sea-faring cat-man, because from his outfit it would be hard to see him as anything else, was moving almost constantly, either waving his hands around when talking, twitching nose, ear or tail when watching, step-stepping on the spot and otherwise just being... surprisingly energetic.

"Come now, you must show me your food, your songs and your women, are there as many beautés as I have been told? Women from all countries, all kinds can be found in Doma, non?" he didn't seem to miss a beat between his shift from food to women, but continued on, falling occasionally into long spells of complex... whatever it was that he spoke (it did sound a bit like Usagijin... if you made it faster and more slurred) with a hungry look on his face. Truth be told, he did look a bit thin, so most likely 'mélasse and pois' was hardly the most nourishing source of food.

The mage snickered. He remembered being that led by his crotch. It was an odd feeling... it was like a spice addiction, needing to go from hit to hit, needing the next big high... and sometimes ending up with unintended consequences.

"Man, you really want to find some women, don't you?" he marveled. "I mean, I'm a married man, but my church sponsors a few decent bathhouses... we can go there after the sandwiches..."

He looked once more to the child in his arms. "And we drop HIM off..."

Kodi struggled once more with this paralysis but found himself mentally exhausted. The initial panic had subsided and had been replaced by pure fatigue. The rolling gate of his father and the assurance that the old bastard would never let anyone lay a hand on him was somehow relieving. Maybe if he went to sleep, he could...

The thick blanket of unconsciousness swept over him, welcome by his tired mind.

Underneath Daenj'r arms, Kodi twitched and shook his head. The boy looked up at him and smiled, revealing he was missing a lower bicuspid. "Father, can you put me down?" he asked kindly. "I promise not to run but you've made all the blood go to my head and now I have a headache." The voice was solidly Kodi Rae Tymisonn but somehow he discarded the thick slang and spoke with all the decorum of a well educated boy.

Alistair's ears perked, "Bathhouse? Haha, that is a funny word for brothel, non? Or do you bathe when you... no no, don't tell, I am excited to know by myself."

Alistair looked ready to go, but as Kodi suddenly began his eloquent and adult conversation with his father, he smiled brightly and stepped up to the boy, patting his shoulder playfully. "What is this formal way of speaking? Gamin, I am not some school-type person who to impress, relax." He gave the boy a shiny grin in return, which just goes to show that even molasses can't break down the teeth of the people who don't believe in tooth-rot.

Kodi gave a small laugh, returning the sweetness in kind. "Sorry, sir. I guess I'm just a little tired so..." He gave a yawn that didn't look staged. "... Yep, I've definitely overdone it today. I think that nap broke my stride, so I want to walk to get it back!" Kodi looked from Alistair to Daenj'r. "What do you say, Pa?"

The boy found his feet on the ground once again, but with a solid, secure grip on the back of all that kept the boy clothed from the waist up. Dae hadn't realized the kid was listening to him, and could turn the slang on and off at will. Good trick... wish he hadn't taught it, in hindsight. But it'd take more than proper speech for him to let his guard down.

"This counts as walking," he said to his new marionette. "Do you still want sandwiches or are you just plain tuckered out?"

Kodi seemed to think. "Can I have something besides a sandwich? Like maybe some soup and bread?" He nodded at this, not seeming to mind his father's firm grip on his shirt. Taking quit look around, his eyes settled the park. He pointed in the direct. "Pa, can we go to the park after lunch? I want to climb a tree."

Alistair watched the conversation father-and-son with wide, curious eyes, but for once not saying much. He sensed a... well, a kind of reprehensible tension from the father, Daen'jr... but he wasn't sure. Anyway, it wasn't really his business, so he just followed, drinking in the sights with his almost childlike awe, even clapping his hands in excitement when he saw a passing group of mages.

"Ah, étonnant, we have so few wielders of sorcelleri in my homelands, only the... how would you say, Wave rulers, and they are few. Let the child decide where we go, unless that would be indulgent. I am in no hurry to see your 'bathhouses', non. I am your guest."